Salvia greggii plant named ‘Ruby Slippers’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Salvia greggii  plant named ‘Ruby Slippers’ is characterized by vivid red flowers, compact form, long bloom period and high tolerance to desert heat.

Latin name: Salvia greggii.

Varietal denomination: Ruby Slippers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Salvia greggii, a member of the plant family Lamiaceae, is native tocentral and southwest Texas and south through the highlands of theChihuahuan Desert in Mexico. Salvia greggii, which is also known asAutumn Sage, produces shrubby growth, ultimately reaching 1-3 fttall×2-4 feet wide. Plants flower almost year around in mild climates,producing ¼-1 inch long tubular flowers which attract hummingbirds.Flower color varies from the typical reds found in the wild to white,pink, yellow and shades of purple in cultivated varieties.

Autumn sage has been cultivated in Texas as early as 1885, becomingpopular in the southwestern United States as a landscape shrub about 85years later and subsequently as a landscape shrub and as an annualflowering bedding plant worldwide. Many cultivars and hybrids have beenproduced, many including parentage from the closely related Salviamicrophylla, which has a much larger adaptational range as well as morevariability as a species.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Salviagreggii named ‘Ruby Slippers’. The cultivar originated as a seedlingselection from offspring of the unpatented cultivar ‘Lipstick’ plantedin 2008. The resulting plant has a different colored flower from itsparent, as well as improved heat tolerance and a more compact growthform and is the object of this application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the features that distinguish the new Salvia greggii cultivar fromall other available and commercial varieties of Salvia greggii known tothe inventor is the following combination of characteristics: compactform, long bloom season, heat tolerance exceeding that of the unpatentedcultivar ‘Lipstick’ and vivid red (overall) flowers 5th edition RoyalHorticultural Society 2007 (R.H.S.) (50A-B).

Mature plants reach about 2.5 feet high by 3.5 feet wide. Flowers areproduced in pairs on terminal spikate racemes.

The propagation procedure is as follows: Softwood cuttings containingone node with leaves and about 3″ long are prepared and wetted with Dip& Grow™, a commercial auxin type plant growth hormone preparation,planted in a peat potting medium in a misting greenhouse with bottomheat in the cool season. During the warm season bottom heat is notneeded. Cuttings become rooted within 3-4 weeks.

The foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions, such that the phenotype may vary with variations inenvironment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs illustrate Salvia greggii ‘Ruby Slippers’growing near Tucson, Ariz., depicted in color as nearly correct as it ispossible to make in a color illustration of the character.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical Salvia greggii ‘Ruby Slippers’ at about age2 years.

FIG. 2 shows a closeup of Salvia greggii ‘Ruby Slippers’ inflorescencesand flowers.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following plant measurements were taken from 3, 5 gallon containergrown specimens approximately 1 year in age from cutting. Mature plantswere also available for measurement. The color descriptions are basedupon the 5^(th) edition R.H.S. Colour Chart 2007. Color names other thancommon usage are as listed in COLOR Universal Language and Dictionary ofNames, by Kenneth L. Kelly and Deane B. Judd; National Bureau ofStandards special publication 440. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department ofCommerce, National Bureau of Standards, December 1976.

Salvia greggii ‘Ruby Slippers’ is a highly branched, suffrutescent shrubwhich grows to about 2.5 feet tall by 3.5 feet wide. Stems are 14-31 cmin length, strong but brittle, especially at the bases. The stems aresquarish, tapering in diameter from 2.0 mm distally to 2.5 mm basally,the surface finely puberulent, the hairs caducous with age. Stem color138B with barely visible striations terminally to being striped with 59Abasally. Stems become woody and thicken with age to a more cylindricalshape and a relatively uniform 164D color. The older stems have papery,peeling bark. Older stems range from about 2.5-15 mm in diameter,thickening with age. Primary lateral branches 6-12 cm in length, finelypuberulent, suffrutescent, weaker than primary branches. Color ofprimary lateral branches are the same as stems. Diameter of primarylateral branches taper from 1.0-1.5 mm distally to 1.5-2.0 mm basally.Lateral branches number from 0-11 per stem. Internodes vary from 1-42 mmlong, with paired, opposite leaves at the nodes. Branch angles vary from35-45 degrees.

Leaves (color closest to 138A on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces) areopposite, and ovate/elliptical in shape, leaf base acute, apex roundedto obtuse. Leaf margins are entire basally, crenulate/denticulateapically. Leaf surface is adaxially lustrous, glabrous; abaxially lesslustrous, glabrous. Leaf size is highly variable, from 4 mm wide×11 mmlong up to 17 mm wide×27 mm long. Leaf veins are obscure and pinnate,slightly lighter than the surrounding leaf tissue, color 138B. Petiolesrange in length from 3-10 mm long, diameter 1.0-1.5 mm, more or lesshalf cylindrical in shape, the flat side held adaxially, color adaxially138A, abaxially 138B. Surface is finely and sparsely puberulent.Petioles are not strong, breaking squarely.

Inflorescences are produced terminally, forming a square stemmed spikateraceme, axis color distally in area of flowering 59A, basally postflowering changing to 138B. The surface of the inflorescence axis ispuberulent. Inflorescences grow from 12-26 cm long including thepeduncle, with up to approximately 15-20 nodes each. Peduncles measure15-30 mm long, square in cross section, diameter 1.5-2.5 mm, color 138A,puberulent, strong. Floral bracts are carinate, 3-3.5 mm wide×5-7 mmlong, ovate, apiculate, somewhat paleaceous and caducous several daysbefore anthesis. Bract adaxial surface is glabrous, abaxial surfacehispidulous. Bracts are striate, 7 nerved, the nerves and apex color59A, basally 142D. Much of the internerval area is colored 141D, but thecolors generally vary somewhat with growth conditions. Flowers arepaired and opposite on the inflorescence.

Pedicles are terete, 3-4 mm long×0.5 mm in diameter. Pedicel colorranges from 60B near the floral attachment to 142B at the base. Pedicelsurface is sparsely puberulent. Pedicels are weak and brittle, breakingsquarely.

Buds measure 17 mm long×3.5 mm wide×5 mm high at maturity. Surface ispuberulent except for the apex, which is pilose. Color of bud is 50Bexcept at the apex, which is 50A. Bud is irregulary oblanceoloid inshape, indented on the abaxial (lower) surface.

Flowers produced are typically 29 mm long×18 mm high×15-16 mm wide,tubular, bilabiate, ventricose with an overall color of 50A-B, the colorlighter at the throat 50C. The upper lip is 10 mm long×4 mm high×4 mmwide, hooded, the anterior portion covered with pilose hairs (the hairscolored 50A), basally glabrous, color 50A-B the stigma and stamensexserted from the tip. The interior (adaxial) upper lip is glabrous,50D. The lower lip is spreading and somewhat reflexed, glabrous, more orless 4 lobed, entire and somewhat crisped, 12 mm high×15-16 mm wide,color 50A-50B with specular spotting, lighter near the throat 50D. Theabaxial lower lip is glabrous 50A-B, grading to color 50D at the throat.The glabrous floral tube reaches 19 mm long and is grooved. The pistilis about 24 mm long, the naked ovary 4 lobed, the lobes ovoid, 1 mmlong×0.5 mm wide, color 1C or lighter attached to an expanded spheroidalreceptacle, 1 mm diameter, color 1C or lighter. The stigma is unequallydivided, the lobes parting dorsally, the upper 2.5 mm long, the lower 1mm long, both narrowly acute, color 50A. A beard extends basally fromabout the midpoint of the upper lobe toward and below the fork about 4mm. The combined stigma and style reach about 23 mm long the styleelliptical, laterally compressed, 0.75 mm high×0.25 mm wide in crosssection. The style color grades from that of the stigma basally to 50Dor lighter. The 2 stamens are paired and epipetalous, the filamentsfused at the attachment, then forming a united, detached, basalextension that forms a teeter totter like device that tips apicallydownward when a hummingbird inserts it bill into the tube, placingpollen on the bird's bill to pollinate the next flower. The forwardportion of the filament measures 5 mm long×0.8 mm in diameter, taperingto the anther. The portion below the attachment measures 7 mm long×0.8mm in diameter. The filaments are lighter than 50D. The dehisced anthersare basifixed, 2 mm long×1 mm thick, the pollen colored 26B.

The fused calyx (sepals) is bilabiate, laterally compressed, at anthesismeasuring 11 mm long×7 mm high×2.5 mm wide, striped and ridged, theridges 59A, the valleys 143B, the exterior surface puberulent, interiorglabrous. Apex of upper lobe is apiculate, acute; the lower lobe isacutely divided, 2 lobed, both lobes apiculate, the lobes unequallyacute. Calyx margin is entire except for the lobes, finely puberulent.

Fecundity is highly variable with conditions and pollination with from 0to 3 seeds being produced from each flower, more typically from 0 to 2seeds. Seeds (nutlets) are obovoid, lustrous, black (203B), laterallycompressed, measuring from 3.1-3.6 mm in length by 1.0 to 1.4 mm inwidth by 1.4-2.0 mm in height. Seed scar is slightly depressed, offsetlaterally towards the axis of the pedicel, more or less elliptical inshape appearing as two circles contacting each other with the axis ofthe two circles aligned with the lateral axis of the seed. The seed scaris color N199A on the circles while the centers have the same color asthe seed surface (203B).

Flowering is nearly year round under favorable conditions of temperatureand moisture, but heaviest from March to May and September throughOctober under conditions prevailing in Tucson, Ariz. Flowers last 2-4days, the corolla becoming deciduous. The plant described had 50 flowerspresent at the time of description.

Salvia ‘Ruby Slippers’ is adapted to USDA hardiness zones 7-10,specifically tolerating temperatures from at least 0-120 degreesFahrenheit. ‘Ruby Slippers’ has proven to be among the most heattolerant Salvia greggii cultivars, surviving in the nursery when mostother commercially available cultivars die.

Plants exhibit a moderate growth rate, reaching mature size underfavorable growing conditions within 3 years.

No diseases or harmful insects were noted on observed specimens.

COMPARISONS TO RELATED SALVIA GREGGII

Compared to its female parent, ‘Lipstick’, ‘Ruby Slippers’ isconsiderably more heat tolerant, more compact, with the flower throatless white than that of ‘Lipstick’, which has a very white throat. Theseeds were the result of open pollination such that the male parent(which could also be a self) is unknown.

‘Ruby Slippers’ may be most easily distinguished from other cultivars bythe character of its flowers, in particular flower color. The color of‘Ruby Slippers’ flowers varies from 50A-B, while ‘Ultra Violet’ hasflowers with a mix of 83A, N81A, 77A and N155A; flowers of ‘Icing Sugar’have a mix of N74B, 68A, 76C and 73A; flowers of ‘Flosalg02’ vary from4B-D.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Salvia greggii plant substantially asdescribed and illustrated herein.